*Best experienced with loud speakers or headphones*
Mike Hopkins and I have worked on numerous videos over the past few seasons and there's a good reason for that. Aside from being an amazing rider, Hopkins is a fantastic photographer himself and understands what goes into making a beautiful image. He's willing to go the extra distance to get the shot, especially when it means waking up cold and hungry on the top of a mountain, miles from cell service, or a warm shower. Red Bull's Raw 100 series was the perfect excuse for us to get lost in the alpine of Revelstoke, British Columbia. I wanted to strip the video down the absolute minimum: no music, no camera movement, just pure unadulterated adventure.
Scott Secco
The scenery wasn't bad.
Mike Hopkins.
Scott Secco.
Bruno Long.
Alpine light rules.
The views didn't suck.
We woke up to this.
Best hotel ever.
Inukshuk foreground with our lodging in the background.
Rider/Article Photographer: Mike Hopkins Video: Scott Secco Magazine Photographer/Chef/Location Scout: Bruno Long Sound Design: Keith White
Just wow. Hats off to the makers. Hopkins is one of the pros I follow the most. So much output in form of his writing, his photography and his riding both on bikes and skis. One of the most interesting and follow worthy characters in MTB for sure!
Mike Hopkins is the quintessential mountain biker, and thank god for talented people like @scottsecco for bringing works of art like this to our computer screens. Definitely an inspiration to get out there and live these experiences.
Yeah definitely is Joss mountain, curious if you did the East or West approach?
Would you be willing to share some more details as far as the exact distance and route you traveled in the video? Just curious because this trail can be ridden as an out n back in a few hours...did you link up any other trails or hike a bike over any other passes in the area to extend the ride?
@cheezario The best thing about your comment is that Hopkins hates it when people remind him of that. Needless to say, I screenshotted your comment and sent it to him.
@scottsecco That was awesome. How do you capture sound like that, do you record it at the same time as the image (a mic on the bike for the long focal length shots maybe?) or do you record it separately and try to match it to the shots?
@scottsecco so the sound added in post isn't recorded on site at all, its all generated afterwards? That's pretty impressive, you could have fooled me. How common is adding in the sound later like that?
@LavenderGooms Virtually every professional video has sound added in post production. Sometimes it'll just be audio cut from a different shot and used in another spot of the video. It definitely makes it more fun to watch!
I feel like its definetely not a raw video if the sound isn't from the actual sound in the shot. That's kinda the whole point.
That's as unprofessional as a photoshopped photo claimed to be original. I'll put it right next to photoshopped celebrities changing the beauty norms.
Not only that, but even GoPro's are capable of recording the sound necessary for creating a raw video. I don't mean to advertise our own work, but I mean, the shitty backyard video that my friends and I made uses sound that is not transplanted from other clips and they really add to the video. We may have turned the background sound up to compete with the overlaid music, but we're not claiming this to be a raw video anyways.
Hey @VTwintips thanks for your comment! For me personally the only rules for ''raw'' are no music and no slow mo. The actual camera audio just doesn't sound as good as this, so why would I want to make a worse viewing experience for people? I think ''shocking media realization'' is blowing things a bit out of proportion. This is supposed to be entertainment, after all. Hopefully you can still enjoy a free video of someone having fun on their bike.
@vtwintips dude. Please tell me that your feeling that this was a "shocking media realization" was not serious and was dripping in sarcasm? It seems way too ridiculous to be serious, yet your comment isn't funny which suggests no sarcasm. If this was a shocking media realization for you, you should really expand your horizons.
@Scottsecco... I think the reason raw videos are cool is because they bring a perspective that reveals all of the sounds that you tend to tune out while you are focusing full blast on the jump ahead, or cleaning a climb. Its mind-blowingly cool to think about it that way. Its like appreciating a unique set of natural tits. My concern is that although with any raw video, the point is to exaggerate sounds that we ignore, it is going in the direction of the overuse of slowmo. If those sounds that you added aren't actually there, then we aren't ignoring them, and the magic of the raw video is false.
And I think your video drifts in that direction of overuse rather than artistic touch, especially after learning that its not the true sound anyways. In my view, that's not raw is about. I think the intent of your video is clearly to create an artistic piece emphasizing the environment over the rider, who never really is the center of attention. There are no close ups on the rider doing a slow mo whip buzzing by the camera and over half of the edit is filler that focuses on the sound of nature. Which is f*cking cool and necessary for a change of pace in the progression of art in the bike world.
But I stand by what I said in that this is like photoshopping a photo. Learning that the sound isn't real takes away from the video a bit to me, kind of like realizing that an actress has a boob job. Big fake tits bouncing in your face are great, but if if the tits are small, they better be real.
@VwHarman, I guess I was really stoked on the video and then super let down when I learned that it wasn't what I thought it was. We can downgrade that to disappointing video secret if that sounds better.
@luis-beri@TheR The Redbull Player is passable if you've got solid internet, but overall, even operating on full blast, the quality is way below today's standards. Offering a maximum of 720p (even though when they really want to they'll do 1080p) in 2016 is pretty hurting, especially when their source files are being delivered in 1080p and 4k. Of course, there's alot that goes into video quality besides resolution, but all in all, this player is falling way behind across the board
I've probably had a grand total of 13 ounces of Red Bull in my life, most on one night in 1997. It's a horrible product that will surely be the subject of future "they drank WHAT back then?" conversations. Still and yet, Red Bull rules. No problems with their free players / apps / whatever. You should ask for your money back.
1. Never ever had a problem with the Red Bull player. 2. Never had a Specialized bike, but they are pretty, and employe some pretty awesome riders to watch. 3. Had Elixir brakes on my hardtail for 3+ years, they are fine 4. I love my Reverb.
Having dealt with giardia myself, eating sun cupped old snow and drinking from water holes where man and beast can get to makes my guts gurgle.....
Not to dismiss a fine piece of cinema in the slightest, but back country survival might well involve some water filtration. I want to go!
@scottsecco Such a good video and so satisfying to watch with the sound, I really enjoyed it. This is what RAW is all about IMO, audio that compliments well shot and still properly composed video. The simple fact that that RAW has no music means you rely on the sound effects, and this video nailed it.
Pinkbike...RAW is not an excuse for videographer laziness, bad camera work or crap sound
@gricceri with that vigilante justice we deserve. Take it down boys! Let's get a ban on Secco while we're at it. Lock up his camera's body cap and throw away the key
Scott, It was a beautiful video but gotta kinda call BS on some of your marketing speak... "...He's willing to go the extra distance to get the shot, especially when it means waking up cold and hungry on the top of a mountain, miles from cell service, or a warm shower. Red Bull's Raw 100 series was the perfect excuse for us to get lost in the alpine of Revelstoke, British Columbia."
I would hardly call the ride up to Joss Peak overlook getting lost in the backcountry. Cold and Hungry? Maybe you should've packed an extra power bar and down jacket? Miles from cell service? Isn't that basically every ride? I mean really you could've done that ride in a few hours you didn't have to stay the night at the lookout.
The scenery wasn't bad.
www.pinkbike.com/news/video-brandon-semenuk-raw-100-2015.html (iz love this one)
revelstoketrails.com/trails/revelstoke-west-hwy-1/revelstoke-west-hwy-1-high-elev/revelstoke-west-hwy-1-high-elev-established/joss-mountain-trails
Would you be willing to share some more details as far as the exact distance and route you traveled in the video? Just curious because this trail can be ridden as an out n back in a few hours...did you link up any other trails or hike a bike over any other passes in the area to extend the ride?
How common is adding in the sound later like that?
That's as unprofessional as a photoshopped photo claimed to be original. I'll put it right next to photoshopped celebrities changing the beauty norms.
Not only that, but even GoPro's are capable of recording the sound necessary for creating a raw video. I don't mean to advertise our own work, but I mean, the shitty backyard video that my friends and I made uses sound that is not transplanted from other clips and they really add to the video. We may have turned the background sound up to compete with the overlaid music, but we're not claiming this to be a raw video anyways.
www.pinkbike.com/video/269372
I hope you change the title of this video, or at the very least see a pinkbike poll in the coming weeks addressing this issue.
I also feel inclined to say that I really enjoy your photos, because I'm not trying to blast you, just this shocking media realization.
wait... what is raw?
And I think your video drifts in that direction of overuse rather than artistic touch, especially after learning that its not the true sound anyways. In my view, that's not raw is about. I think the intent of your video is clearly to create an artistic piece emphasizing the environment over the rider, who never really is the center of attention. There are no close ups on the rider doing a slow mo whip buzzing by the camera and over half of the edit is filler that focuses on the sound of nature. Which is f*cking cool and necessary for a change of pace in the progression of art in the bike world.
But I stand by what I said in that this is like photoshopping a photo. Learning that the sound isn't real takes away from the video a bit to me, kind of like realizing that an actress has a boob job. Big fake tits bouncing in your face are great, but if if the tits are small, they better be real.
Does that make sense?
Really like the RAW100 concept. This one and the Bas van Steenbergen RAW100 are both exceptional in giving you the itch to grab your bike and go out riding!
www.pinkbike.com/news/red-bull-raw-100-liam-mullany-bas-van-steenbergen-2015.html
1. The Red Bull video player.
2. Specialized Bicycles.
3. Avid Elixir Brakes.
4. Reverb Seat Post.
The Redbull Player is passable if you've got solid internet, but overall, even operating on full blast, the quality is way below today's standards. Offering a maximum of 720p (even though when they really want to they'll do 1080p) in 2016 is pretty hurting, especially when their source files are being delivered in 1080p and 4k. Of course, there's alot that goes into video quality besides resolution, but all in all, this player is falling way behind across the board
Still and yet, Red Bull rules. No problems with their free players / apps / whatever. You should ask for your money back.
2. Never had a Specialized bike, but they are pretty, and employe some pretty awesome riders to watch.
3. Had Elixir brakes on my hardtail for 3+ years, they are fine
4. I love my Reverb.
Pinkbike...RAW is not an excuse for videographer laziness, bad camera work or crap sound
Oh man! What a dream!!!
revelstoketrails.com/trails/revelstoke-west-hwy-1/revelstoke-west-hwy-1-high-elev/revelstoke-west-hwy-1-high-elev-established/joss-mountain-trails
revelstoketrails.com/trails/revelstoke-west-hwy-1/revelstoke-west-hwy-1-high-elev/revelstoke-west-hwy-1-high-elev-established/joss-mountain-west-approach-trail
www.kamloopstrails.net/joss-mountain
Wouldn't be my first trail choice if visiting Revelstoke for the first time but should be on the list.
"...He's willing to go the extra distance to get the shot, especially when it means waking up cold and hungry on the top of a mountain, miles from cell service, or a warm shower. Red Bull's Raw 100 series was the perfect excuse for us to get lost in the alpine of Revelstoke, British Columbia."
I would hardly call the ride up to Joss Peak overlook getting lost in the backcountry. Cold and Hungry? Maybe you should've packed an extra power bar and down jacket? Miles from cell service? Isn't that basically every ride? I mean really you could've done that ride in a few hours you didn't have to stay the night at the lookout.
But just teasing you a bit nice video.